PHP 25,000 reward offered for theft of Amorsolo painting in Silay

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – As police investigate two people involved in the theft of an 88-year-old painting by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo from a private museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, the city government is offering a cash reward of PHP 25,000 for information leading to the arrest and recovery of the stolen artwork.

Mayor Joedith Gallego announced Saturday that he was willing to offer a reward to speed up the search for the missing painting.

Gallego said he had asked the police to thoroughly investigate the incident for the immediate arrest of the suspects and to validate information that would help locate the stolen painting.

Gerle Sulmaca, city tourism officer, reported that Amorsolo’s painting “Mango Pickers” was stolen from the Hofileña Museum in Barangay 1 on Wednesday morning, July 3.

The painting “Mango Harvesters” (1936), measuring approximately 12 × 18 inches, is part of the collection of the late Ramon Hofileña, a renowned art curator in the province, dubbed the “father of heritage conservation in Silay City.”

Sulmaca said a tour guide discovered the missing painting on the second floor of the museum, which is also an ancestral home of the Hofileña family.

“We were shocked and saddened because this is the first time this has happened,” Sulmaca said.

Sulmaca highlighted the importance of the city’s private museums, which house important cultural assets. She expressed the city’s protective position towards these assets, despite their being private property.

The museum asked for the public’s help in locating the stolen painting through a Facebook post shared by Silay Heritage on Friday evening, July 5.

“Help us recover this important piece of Philippine art. Please report this discovery to the nearest authorities if you have any information,” reads the Silay Heritage post.

Lt. Col. Mark Anthony Darroca, the city’s police chief, said CCTV footage showed two individuals leaving the museum with the painting hidden in a bag. A man was seen taking the artwork from an exhibit on the second floor, while a woman stood watch.

The suspects were seen driving a rickshaw from the museum to the town’s public square, where they boarded a passenger jeepney bound for Bacolod, CCTV footage confirmed.

Darroca said the suspects, who were part of a group of six on a tour, used fictitious names in the logbook and claimed to be from Bacolod. They wore caps and face masks, making their identification difficult.

However, Darroca said they have identified two persons of interest, believed to be part of an organized crime group, given the method of their actions. The police coordinated with the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) to track down the suspects, who are linked to petty crimes.

Authorities tracked the rickshaw driver through CCTV footage and questioned him about the suspects’ identities. A mugshot of a person of interest matched the description of the male suspect, but the driver was unable to identify the female suspect.

Police plan to release the suspect’s identity once the case is closed.

The cybercrime unit will enhance CCTV footage to better identify suspects, who are believed to be from outside the province.

Following the incident, Gallego announced plans to step up security measures at museums and other cultural assets in the city.

Tourist police regularly patrol the city, but extra personnel will now be stationed at museums to assist staff and tour guides.

The mayor considers this to be an isolated case and hopes for a rapid recovery of the stolen work.

The museum features works by national artists Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Amorsolo, Ang Kiukok, Vicente Manansala, HR Ocampo and Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera.